Industry News

"Facebook now has over $1B in construction permits for various structures within its West Campus expansion in Menlo Park, according to a BuildZoom report.

When the tech giant originally filed its $177M permit to build 433K SF "MPK 20" that was completed in 2015, it was the largest permit ever filed in Menlo Park. It has since filed two separate permits for $300M for a two-story, 523K SF MPK in 2017 and a $303M permit for a four-story office MPK 22 in February. Frank Gehry designed these structures and Level 10 Construction is the general contractor."

The southern California developer - with partner, Invesco - envisions an industrial megacampus with amenities that match tech headquarters. The property sits next to shopping and has access to transit. It was designed with extensive indoor-outdoor meeting space for tenants and bike and walking trails throughout."

"Sunset Development Co.'sBishop Ranch has added seven more tenants to the office campus leasing over 80K SF. In the last few months, the developer has added a total of 14 leases occupying the 186K SF. The seven most recent leases were signed by professional services, financing and technology companies."

Google has confirmed its newest development - an 8 million square foot urban campus in Downtown San Jose. The mixed-use project will be developed by Google's long-time partner, Trammell Crow, and is one of almost 100 major development projects in the works for San Jose.

"After two decades of setbacks – and final delays in the past three years – the $1 billion Alameda Point Site A waterfront project will break ground this month.

Developers closed last week on a land transfer on the 30-acre first phase from Alameda. The entire 68-acre project will transform part of the former Alameda naval base, which closed in 1997, into 800 housing units, including 200 affordable homes, 600,000 square feet of commercial space, 15 acres of parks and a new ferry terminal to San Francisco that will open in 2020."

Pullman, Wash. — A Washington State University research team is solving a high-tech waste problem while addressing the environmental challenge of stormwater runoff. The researchers have shown they can greatly strengthen permeable pavements by adding waste carbon fiber composite material. Their recycling method, described in the March issue of the Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, doesn’t require using much energy or chemicals — a critical factor for recycling waste materials.

The Easy Bay town of Hayward has voted to require all properties in the city to switch from receiving energy from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to an all renewable source, making its grid 100 percent carbon-free in 2019, unless they choose to opt out ahead of time.

California has set an ambitious goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. In its proposed new Environmental Sustainability Plan (ESP), the City of San Jose will go one step further with a “2°C pathway”: a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in compliance with the 2016 Paris Accords’ commitment to keep global temperature below a two-degree increase (from 1990 levels). In becoming the first American city to develop a “Paris compliant” pathway, San Jose aims to lead the way among cities in reducing climate impacts.